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LAS VEGAS (AP) — MGM Resorts International, the largest employer on the Las Vegas Strip, was close to reaching a tentative deal with the hotel workers union, the casino company’s CEO said as the clock ticked closer to a union deadline for a sweeping strike. “This deal, when announced, will do just that.”During a break in bargaining, the union’s chief contract negotiator said he welcomed Hornbuckle’s sentiments. The union caught a break at dawn Wednesday when it reached a tentative deal with Caesars that covers 10,000 workers at the company’s flagship Caesars Palace, as well as Flamingo, Harrah’s, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood, Cromwell and Linq. But experts say a walkout isn’t likely now that the union has a blueprint for a contract after reaching its breakthrough deal with Caesars. That includes walkouts in Hollywood, UPS’ contentious negotiations that threatened to disrupt the nation’s supply chain, and the ongoing hotel workers strike at Detroit’s three casinos, including MGM Grand Detroit.

Persons: Bill Hornbuckle, ” Hornbuckle, “, Ted Pappageorge, Cromwell, Linq, Joshua Guray, Guray, ”, Bill Werner, Tiffany Thomas, Bethany Khan, hasn’t, Khan, ” Khan Organizations: LAS VEGAS, MGM Resorts International, Las, Culinary Workers Union, MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Caesars, Associated Press, University of Nevada, MGM Grand Detroit, Las Vegas, MGM, Wynn, Workers Locations: Harrah’s, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, New York

The pandas’ departure from the National Zoo leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China, and not for much longer. First lady Pat Nixon welcomes China's giant pandas on April 20, 1972, at Washington's National Zoo. They have since become the parents of seven giant panda cubs born at Zoo Atlanta, according to the zoo. Staff at the National Zoo say they’re hopeful China might one day send over more giant pandas. Plans for the exhibit, with a welcome sign announcing the “Giant Pandas of Chengdu” and a panda-themed gift shop, aren’t clear.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Nixon, Mao Zedong, Richard Nixon, ”, Mao Ning, Richard Nixon’s, Mao Zedong’s, Pat Nixon, “, Hsing, YaYa, Xin Xin, David Culver, Fernando Gual Sill, CNN Xin Xin –, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Yang Yang, Lun Lun, Steve Schaefer, –, Bob Lee, Jane Mahalik, “ Pat Nixon, ” Mahalik, Jill Biden, Yong Xiong, Melissa Gray Organizations: CNN, Smithsonian National Zoo, ” Zoo, National Zoo, Zoo, AP China, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Washington, of Public Service, Memphis Zoo, Atlanta, Chapultepec Zoo, Pandas, Zoo Atlanta, Getty, Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Chengdu Research Base, Staff, National Locations: Washington ,, China, what’s, Zoo Atlanta, Beijing, United States, City of Peking, Washington, Atlanta, Russia, Mexico City, Chapultepec, Mexico, “, China’s, Moscow, Qatar, AFP, America, Zoo, Chengdu, New York, Los Angeles

The theme of the next Met Gala has been unveiled: “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed the theme of its spring 2024 exhibit, which is launched by the huge party known as the Met Gala, on Wednesday. The “sleeping beauties” referred to in the title of the show are actually treasured garments in the museum’s collection that are so fragile, they need to be housed in special glass “coffins,” curators said. Garments will be displayed in a series of galleries organized by themes of nature. Curator Andrew Bolton, who masterminds all the Met Gala exhibits, explained that the show includes both rare historical garments and corresponding contemporary fashions. Political Cartoons View All 1237 Images“When an item of clothing enters our collection, its status is changed irrevocably,” Bolton said in the statement.

Persons: Andrew Bolton, ” Bolton Organizations: Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art

The pandas, accompanied by three zookeepers, will travel to a reserve in China’s mountainous Sichuan province, where an estimated 1,800 pandas are still found in the wild, according to the National Zoo. "It's a moment of joy because this is one more step in 50 years of a successful giant panda conservation program and hopefully the beginning of 50 more years of successful giant panda conservation," she said. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, arrived at the National Zoo in 2000. The trio, made famous by the zoo's "Giant Panda Cam" with more than 100 million views, were part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. Kimberly Blalock, a young visitor at the National Zoo on Tuesday, was among the last to see the pandas on display in Washington.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, munch, Brandie Smith, It's, Mei Xiang, Richard Nixon's, Kimberly Blalock, Kevin Fogarty, Kia Johnson, Rich McKay, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Boeing, FedEx Panda Express, Dulles International, National Zoo ., National Zoo, U.S . Pandas, China Wildlife Conservation, U.S, Georgia's Zoo, Thomson Locations: China, Sichuan, U.S, Memphis, San Diego, Georgia's, Georgia's Zoo Atlanta, Washington, Atlanta

NEW DELHI (AP) — A toxic blanket of grey smog hangs over New Delhi’s monuments and high-rises. Authorities are struggling to rein in severe air pollution levels, an annual and chronic health crisis that disrupts the lives of over 20 million in the city every year. On Tuesday, the air quality index veered close to the 400 mark for tiny particulate matter, a level considered hazardous and more than 10 times the global safety threshold, according to SAFAR, India’s main environmental monitoring agency. The severe air pollution crisis affects every resident in the city, but the millions who work outdoors are even more vulnerable. "If I had had employment back home, I wouldn’t have come to Delhi to work.”

Persons: SAFAR, ”, Srinivas Rao, Gulshan Kumar Organizations: DELHI, Authorities, Sri, Arun, Indian, Meteorology, Living Sciences Locations: Andhra Pradesh, India, New Delhi, Bangladesh, Pune . New Delhi, Bihar, ”, Delhi

☆ ‘The Marvels’ battles nasty superheroes like ‘Gen V,’ ‘The Boys’ and ‘Invincible’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Yet for this genre, a more subtle factor might be the bad, no good, extraordinarily nasty “heroes” that have entered the chat, as Amazon’s “The Boys” spinoff “Gen V” concludes its first season and the animated “Invincible” begins its second. Like “The Boys,” “Gen V” has explored the corruptible side of superheroes, with its college-age characters at the appropriately named Godolkin University (God U, for short) yearning for a place among the Seven, the amoral heroes brought to the world by a shadowy corporation more interested in public relations and profits than the public good. Lizze Broadway, Jaz Sinclair and Maddie Phillips in "Gen V," the spinoff to Amazon's "The Boys." The fact that “The Boys,” “Gen V” and “Invincible” play on Prime Video merely reinforces that streaming has created hungry platforms for genre-friendly franchises – including raunchier ones, like Max’s “Peacemaker” – while further adding to the crush of viewing options featuring characters in capes and masks. “Gen V” concludes and “Invincible” begins its second season November 3 on Amazon’s Prime Video.

Persons: ”, V ”, Jaz Sinclair, Maddie Phillips, Brooke Palmer, V, Max’s, Marvel, Monica Rambeau, “ WandaVision, Ms, Amazon’s, “ Invincible ” Organizations: Marvel, Disney, Godolkin University, Amazon Studios, DC, Fox, Amazon’s Locations: “

☆ This city never slept. Now with China tightening its grip, is the party over?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

China’s message at the time was that even if change was coming to Hong Kong, its spirit of “anything goes” would be staying put. People gather outside a restaurant on a near-empty street in the Soho area of Hong Kong. Officials say they were “fluorescent.”A Hong Kong government spokesman told CNN this week that the activities were “well-received by local residents and tourists”. Under Hong Kong’s pandemic restrictions, live music was all but banned in small venues for more than 650 days. Months before the virus emerged, China had been tightening its grip on Hong Kong in response to pro-democracy protests that had spread throughout the city.

Persons: Hong Kong, Boy George, Grace Jones, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, China’s, Deng Xiaoping, China –, Deng, Deng’s, –, Noemi Cassanelli, Hong, John Lee, “, ”, Gary Ng, Covid, Benson Wong, Wong, Lan Kwai Fong, Cassanelli, Hong Kongers, Kongers, Ng, Yan Wai, ” Yan, hasn’t, Billy H.C, Kwok, Richard Feldman, Feldman, Becky Lam, ” Lam, “ They’ll, ” Feldman, Kwai Fong, Marco Chan, Chan, ” Allan Zeman, Allan Zeman, Lan, CNN “ They’ll, they’ll, Lam, Hong Kong’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, East, West, Britain, Occupy Central, National Security, Michelin, CNN, Hong, Tai Hang, National, Hong Kong Wine, HKSAR, Immigration Department, Chinese University of Hong, Soho Association, Netflix, “, Lan Kwai Fong Group, Hong Kong, Shady Locations: China, Hong Kong, Asia, Hong, Soho, Japan, Singapore, Tai, Thailand, Lan Kwai, expats, Britain, Canada, Australia, Natixis, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Lan, revelers, California, Central, Shenzhen, Hong Kong’s Central, Bangkok, Shanghai, Taipei, Petticoat

☆ Tarantula sighting results in car accident in Death Valley National Park
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A tourist tried to avoid a wild animal in a national park and got in a car accident. According to a press release issued by the Death Valley National Park in California, two tourists from Switzerland were in a campervan on October 28 when the driver saw the spider and slammed on the brakes. However, the park urges Death Valley visitors not to panic if they see an eight-legged creature. Earlier this year, staff at Yellowstone National Park were forced to euthanize a bison calf after a visitor tried to pick up the animal. Last week, a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway national park in North Carolina was closed after multiple incidents of “visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear.”

Persons: who’d, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Death, Yellowstone Locations: California, Switzerland, Death, North Carolina

☆ The Extreme 19th: is this the most terrifying shot in sport?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Golf is nothing like an extreme sport – but it absolutely is in one corner of South Africa. Courtesy Legend Hospitality GroupInto the lion’s denThe seed for The Extreme 19th was planted in November 2000, when Cilliers’ wife Mart surprised him with a family picnic at the summit of Hanglip Mountain for his 41st birthday. Courtesy Legend Hospitality GroupStaff donned crash helmets as balls rained down from above in an attempt to plot the best landing zone. Two icons of British sport have played The Extreme 19th: seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and five-time Olympic rowing gold medalist Steve Redgrave, as well as South African Springbok rugby heroes Frik Du Preez, Naas Botha and Morne Steyn. Courtesy Legend Hospitality GroupCilliers occupies neither.

Persons: Africa’s, they’ve, ”, Peet Cilliers, “, Cilliers, Mart, –, Gary Player, teed, ” Cilliers, “ We’ve, Franklyn Stephenson, Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington, Lewis Hamilton, Steve Redgrave, Frik Du Preez, Morne, Morgan Freeman, Nelson Mandela, Matt Damon, Clint Eastwood, ” Freeman scrawled, you’ve, you’re Organizations: CNN, Safari Conservancy, Legend, Rand, Lions, Staff, Golfers, West Indies, –, African Springbok, Naas Botha, Globe, Cilliers Locations: South Africa, Limpopo, Zimbabwe, “, China, Europe, Naas, Morne Steyn, Lake Entabeni, Johannesburg, it’s

☆ Anti-Semitic riot in Russia's Dagestan leaves some local Jews shaken
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A view of gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in the ancient city of Derbent on the Caspian Sea coast in the Caucasus region of Dagestan, Russia, November 2, 2023. With row after row of gravestones engraved with the Star of David or portraits and pictures of the dead, Derbent's Jewish cemetery gives an indication of how large this coastal city's Jewish population once was. One of a string of enclaves of so-called Mountain Jews that pepper both Russia's Caucasus and neighbouring Azerbaijan, Derbent's Jews still speak a dialect of Persian that evokes their hometown's rich history. Today there are barely 2,000 Jews still living in Dagestan, once home to 10 times that." Alexander Fedotov, who was visiting Derbent's Jewish cemetery with Zoya Solomonova, said he thought the airport riot had been planned by someone intent on spoiling ties between Russia and Israel.

Persons: Kazbek Basayev, Zoya Solomonova, Vladimir Putin, David, Derbent's, Derbent, Shneor Segal, Alexander Fedotov, Eduard Ilgiyaev, I've, I'm, Andrew Osborn, Felix Light, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, West, Star, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Derbent, Caucasus, Dagestan, Russia, St Petersburg, Makhachkala, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Israel, Moscow, Chechnya, Azerbaijan

☆ Section of Blue Ridge Parkway closed because visitors were ‘feeding and attempting to hold a young bear’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Devon M. Sayers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A section of the Blue Ridge Parkway has been closed by officials “after multiple documented reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear in recent weeks,” the National Park Service said in a news release. The section closed on Monday “until further notice.”“When people intentionally attract bears with trash and food it can lead to very dangerous situations. The safety tips instruct visitors not to feed bears and to properly store all food. The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most-visited of the National Park Service’s 425 sites, according to 2022 figures. The Blue Ridge Parkway starts in Waynesboro, Virginia, and stretches more than 469 miles, ending in the Great Smoky Mountains near Cherokee, North Carolina, according to NPS.

Persons: ”, Tracy Swartout, “ Organizations: CNN, National Park Service, Bears, NPS Locations: Asheville , North Carolina, Ox, NC80, Waynesboro , Virginia, Smoky, Cherokee, North Carolina

☆ Lonely Planet’s top places to go in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Maureen Ohare | Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Get your wishlist fired up, Lonely Planet just revealed its 50 top travel destinations for the year ahead. The travel publishing empire turns 50 this year, and its bumper Best in Travel 2024 list is expanded across five categories: top countries, regions, cities, sustainable travel destinations and best-value locations. The “wild beauty” of South Africa also gets a nod, with Lonely Planet recommending visitors check out the country’s “impressive crop of ecolodges” committed to protecting Earth’s biodiversity. The underrated American Midwest is the top tip here: in cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit, “you’ll find old warehouses transformed into art studios, new eco design hotels and many Michelin-starred restaurants,” says Lonely Planet. Says Lonely Planet, “Here you’ll find the highest sea cliffs in Europe and miles of unspoilt coastal hiking trails.”Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024India: A big country with a whole lot to love, including Gadisar lake in Rajasthan.

Persons: CNN —, Lucia, Torres del, ecolodges ”, Babanango, “, ”, you’ll, Ilan Shacham, Ireland País Vasco, Português, daniel Organizations: CNN, Lonely, Lonely Planet, Kenyan, Michelin, Getty, Mongolia India Morocco Chile Benin Mexico Uzbekistan Pakistan Croatia St, Regions, CNN Cities Nairobia, Chile Greenland, Lithuania Eco, France Egypt Ikaria, Greece Algeria Southern Lakes, Central Otago , New Zealand Locations: Mongolia, Mexico, Croatia, St, Benin, Uzbekistan, City, Nairobi, Paris, Prague, Czech, “, Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Spain, Valencia, Barcelona, South Africa, South, KwaZulu Natal, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Algeria, Northern Africa, Europe, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Adriatic, Donegal, Ireland’s, India, Rajasthan, Mongolia India Morocco Chile Benin Mexico Uzbekistan Pakistan Croatia, Lucia Macedonia, South Australia Donegal, Ireland, Spain Southern Thailand Swahili, Tanzania Montana, USA, Austria, Kenya Paris, France Montreal, Canada Mostar, Herzegovina Philadelphia , Pennsylvania Manaus, Brazil Jakarta, Indonesia Prague, Czech Republic Izmir, Turkey Kansas City , Missouri, Spain Patagonia, Argentina, Chile, Chile Greenland Wales, Santiago Palau Hokkaido, Japan Ecuador Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, South Africa Poland, USA Poland Nicaragua Danube Limes, Bulgaria Normandy, France Egypt, Greece Algeria Southern, Central Otago , New

☆ Five modern-day ghost towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Elissa Garay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Think of “ghost towns” and images of dusty, lost-to-time towns, like those in America’s Wild West, may come to mind. “Climate change will undoubtedly cause death of landscapes where we shall mourn our environmental decline.”Visiting such places now can shine a critical light on the effects of climate change and, in so doing, offer educational experiences to the contemporary visitor. “Visiting such places now can shine a critical light on the effects of climate change and, in so doing, offer educational experiences to the contemporary visitor.”Here are five global ghost towns that have been created as climate change reshapes the world – the likely harbingers of many more to come. Chacaltaya Ski Resort, BoliviaBolivia's abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort closed in 2009. Luke Chen/iStock Editorial/Getty ImagesOnce the world’s highest ski resort, the 17,388-foot-high lodge on Mount Chacaltaya opened in the 1930s as a popular – and only – ski resort in Bolivia’s Andes.

Persons: ”, Gaia Vince, “, Jack DeWaard, “ They’re, it’s, Vince, ” Vince, DeWaard, Philip Stone, Stone, Christoph Sator, de Jean Charles, Jean Charles’s, Cotul, Luke Chen, Chacaltaya, Kile Brewer, – Organizations: CNN, Population Council, United Nations, University of Central, for Dark Tourism Research, Institute, Dark Tourism, Fijian, Louisiana Communities, Valmeyer , Illinois Old, Valmeyer, School, The New York Times Locations: Wild, Hawaii , California, Australia, Bangladesh, Lahaina, Hawaii, Spain, University of Central Lancashire, Vunidogoloa, Fiji, Pacific, Fijian, Vanua Levu, Louisiana, Gulf, Mexico, New Orleans, Cotul Morii, Moldova, Morii, Europe, Bolivia, Andes, La Paz, Valmeyer , Illinois, Mississippi, North, Illinois, Valmeyer, –

☆ Dispossessed Kenyans demand compensation ahead of King Charles' visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Aaron Ross | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Before Elizabeth could make it to Lake Victoria, word came that her father, King George VI, had died. More than 70 years later, Elizabeth's son, King Charles, will visit Kenya this week on a state visit. Buckingham Palace has said Charles' visit, which begins on Tuesday, will acknowledge "painful aspects of the UK and Kenya's shared history". The colonial administration took hundreds of square kilometres of land that communities in western Kenya had lived on for generations and handed it to British settlers. The British government has not been receptive in the past to requests by the Kipsigis and Talai to discuss compensation.

Persons: Britain's King Charles ', Camilla's, King Charles, Princess Elizabeth, Kibore Cheruiyot Ngasura, Elizabeth, King George VI, Elizabeth's, Ngasura, Charles, Kenya's, Joel Kimetto, “, Talai, Aaron Ross, Michael Holden, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Kenyan, British, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office, Thomson Locations: Britain's, Kenya, Tugunon, Kericho County, KERICHO, Lake Victoria, Gwassi, London, Buckingham, British, Kericho, Nairobi, Mombasa

NEW YORK (AP) — The fallout from the actors strike, now past 100 days, has been widespread throughout the film industry. As the strike pushes into Hollywood’s awards season, it’s increasingly muting the reception for some of the best performances of the year. With so many out of work due to the strike, no one should cry for muzzled Oscar campaigns. Just as Carney’s “Once” was a breakthrough for Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Hewson is a revelation in “Flora and Son.” (Streaming on Apple TV+)COLMAN DOMINGOColman Domingo has long been a powerhouse on screen. The film is set mainly during the run-up to the 1963 March on Washington, which Rustin was the architect of.

Persons: haven’t, it’s, muzzled Oscar, Sandra Hüller, “ Priscilla ” –, Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer, ”, —, Andrew Scott, ” Aunjanue Ellis, Emma Stone, ” Jeffrey Wright, Carey Mulligan, “ Maestro, LILY GLADSTONE Martin, Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ernest Burkhart, Robert De Niro, William Hale, Lily Gladstone’s, Mollie Kyle, she’s, PAUL GIAMATTI, DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH, DOMINIC SESSA, Alexander Payne’s “, there’s Paul Giamatti, Payne, Randolph, JAMIE FOXX Jamie Foxx, Maggie Betts ’, Tommy Lee Jones, Foxx, Jones, JODIE FOSTER Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin’s, Annette Bening, Diana Nyad, Jodie Foster’s, Bonnie Stoll, Nyad’s, “, Foster, GABRIEL GARCÍA BERNAL “ Cassandro, Cassandro . Bernal, Perros ”, HEWSON, Eve Hewson, Bono, Steven Soderbergh’s “, John Carney’s “, Hewson, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, Orén, Glen, Markéta Irglová, COLMAN DOMINGO Colman Domingo, “ Zola, George C, Wolfe's “ Rustin, Bayard Rustin, Domingo, Rustin, AARON PIERRE, Garth Davis, Aaron Pierre, Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Pierre, PHOEBE DYNEVOR, ALDEN EHRENREICH, Chloe Domont's, Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, it's, MARSHAWN LYNCH, Marshawn Lynch, Emma Seligman’s, Rachel Sennott, Edebiri, Lynch, It’s, he’s Organizations: ”, SAG, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Apple, NFL Locations: “, Vietnam, Mississippi, Dublin, “ Flora, Washington

☆ A zoom call by the beach? Here are the 10 best 'workcation' cities for remote workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The pandemic might be over, but working remotely is a trend that's set to stay as millennials and Gen Z's continue to work while visiting their favorite destinations. That's according to WorkMotion, a Berlin-based human resource platform, which analyzed 85 cities around the globe to see how easy and attractive they were for remote workers. The report refers to "workcation" as a short term residence — of about 12 months or fewer — in a country while working remotely for a existing employer. "Not many cities can offer them all, but it's undeniable that cities legislating to attract remote workers become far more attractive than those that don't," he said, elaborating that only a handful of cities in the study offered remote workers a digital nomad visa that would allow them to continue employment in the country they relocated to. Only 17 out of the 85 cities offer a digital nomad visa for remote workers.

Persons: Workations, Gen Z's, Carsten Lebtig Locations: Berlin

☆ Bologna's 'leaning' tower, the Garisenda, closed off amid subsidence fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

And now the medieval Garisenda “leaning” tower in Bologna is sparking very modern publicity, with concern that it might be subsiding. But it leans at an angle of four degrees – only a little more upright than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, set at a tipsy five-degree angle. Shortened in later years, it sits in the city center beside the Asinelli – a tower twice the height, which tourists can climb. Lepore said that the tower “has been leaning for several centuries, and it has been the subject of various interventions over decades.”The Garisenda, seen next to the higher Asinelli tower, leans at a four-degree angle. Lepore represents the center-left Democratic Party, and his council opposition has cast him as failing to protect the tower.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, CNN — Dante Alighieri, Charles Dickens, Dante, Matteo Lepore, ”, Lepore, Genoa’s, ” Lepore, “, Lucia Borgonzoni, Borgonzoni, Fabio Bergonzini Organizations: CNN, intel, Northern League, Democratic Party Locations: Italy, Bologna, Manhattan, Pisa, Emilia, Romagna, Lepore, “

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Finishing her class at The Julliard School of the arts in New York, Greek opera great Maria Callas gave her students a final word of advice. The City of Athens inaugurated the Maria Callas Museum in the center of the Greek capital Wednesday, marking a century since the birth to Greek parents of the legendary soprano in New York. They might know much about Maria Callas,” museum supervisor Erato Koutsoudaki told The Associated Press. “This is the first museum dedicated to Maria Callas that … combines technology with lived experience,” the mayor said. “We welcome this museum with great joy and deep respect for the great diva."

Persons: Maria Callas, Maria, Callas, Manolo Blahnik, ”, Erato Koutsoudaki, Maria Kalogeropoulos, Maria ”, Angelina Jolie, Kostas Bakoyannis, …, “ Organizations: Julliard School, Maria Callas Museum, Julliard, Associated Press, Athens Locations: ATHENS, Greece, New York, Kyrgyzstan, Congo, City, Athens, Paris

☆ Death Valley is an oasis of lakes and wildflowers after Hurricane Hilary
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —California’s Death Valley is the hottest place in the world and the driest place in North America. But two months after Hurricane Hilary’s epic rainfall, parts of the national park look more oasis than desert. “It is definitely a rare and special event,” Death Valley park spokesperson Abby Wines told CNN, only happening roughly once a decade. Road crews traverse along hwy 190 in Death Valley, California, on August 31, 2023, where most of the road was washed out. But average high temperatures in Death Valley drop quickly during the fall and get nowhere near the record-shattering heat of summer.

Persons: Abby Wines, Hilary, Robert Gauthier, Wines, “, Death, Mike Reynolds, Mario Tama, Badwater, ” Wines, ” Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Wines, National Park Service, NPS Locations: North America, Death, Death Valley , California, Badwater

The company also approved a $10 billion share repurchase program that will be funded through short and long-term debt. But profit at RTX's Collins Aerospace unit, which deals with commercial aftermarket service, rose 22% to $903 million. RTX reported an overall third-quarter adjusted profit of $1.25 per share, beating Wall Street estimates of $1.21, according to LSEG data. The company now expects reported sales of $68.5 billion, up from about $67.5 billion, and adjusted sales of $74 billion, up from $73 billion. Adjusted earnings per share - previously projected to be $4.95 to $5.05 - are now expected to be between $4.98 and $5.02.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Pratt, Whitney, RTX, Neil Mitchill, Pratyush Thakur, Mike Stone, Valerie Insinna, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Mark Potter Organizations: Raytheon Technologies Corporation, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, Collins Aerospace, Reuters, RTX, RTX's Collins Aerospace, Wall, Intelligence, Services, Raytheon, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Arlington , Virginia, Bengaluru, Washington

☆ On the Agenda for Australia’s State Visit: China, Trade and a U.S. Marine Band
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Katie Rogers | More About Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

This week, Mr. Biden is steering American involvement in two overseas wars and monitoring the continuing calamity of a speakerless House of Representatives, and there is another government shutdown crisis looming next month. John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, played down the idea that global crises could distract Mr. Biden from his visitor, or perhaps even keep him waiting. During Mr. Biden and Mr. Albanese’s time together, which includes a news conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, they are expected to emphasize their shared interests. Mr. Biden’s advisers say the administration is supportive of the meeting between Mr. Albanese and Mr. Xi. Mr. Biden and Mr. Albanese are also likely to touch on the dysfunction in Congress.

Persons: Biden, Anthony Albanese, John F, Kirby, Mr, “, ” Mr, ”, Jill Biden, ” Dr, Bruce Jones, Albanese’s, Donald J, Trump, Scott Morrison, Morrison, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Jones, Xi Organizations: Representatives, U.S . Marine, Army and Air Force, China, Center for East Asia Policy, Brookings Institution, East Locations: Australia, United States, Washington, China, Georgia, Britain, Papua New Guinea, Israel, ”, American, Hormuz

☆ Sydney Opera House: Australia’s most famous attraction turns 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Saying that the Sydney Opera House is a well-known icon of Australia is kind of like saying the Amazon is a creek. Inaugurated on October 20, 1973, by the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Opera House now welcomes more than one million visitors every year. A rich historyThere’s much more to the Opera House than, well, opera. “I think there’s a big misconception that we’re the classical arts,” says Jade McKellar, chief customer officer for the Sydney Opera House. “The Sydney Opera House constitutes a masterpiece of 20th Century architecture,” UNESCO wrote in its designation.

Persons: Queen Elizabeth II, Jorn Utzon, “, ”, Jade McKellar, we’ve, there’ll, Golding, McKellar, Megan Cope, Bob Henry, UCG, Piper, Hamelin Organizations: CNN, Sydney Opera, Deloitte, Empire, Opera, Opera House, Sydney Opera House, UNESCO, ” UNESCO, Fairfax Media, House, Nations, Botanic Garden, Getty, Opera Bar Locations: Australia, ”, Spanish, Korean, Sydney

The Global Cooling Pledge – set to be announced at the upcoming United Nations climate summit, COP28 – represents a tough request given the cooling industry is only expected to grow. The emissions from both the refrigerants and the energy used in cooling now account for about 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and are expected to triple by 2050 as temperatures continue to rise. "We need cooling, but it has to become more efficient," UNEP Cool Coalition global coordinator Lily Riahi said. Another 13 commitments outlined in the draft pledge include establishing minimum energy performance standards for air conditioning by 2030, and including cooling emissions in countries' overall climate action plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions. The UNEP estimates that global efforts to tackle cooling emissions could have a significant impact by 2050, avoiding the release of up to 86 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, –, Noah Horowitz, Lily Riahi, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: China Import, Export Fair, Canton Fair, REUTERS, Reuters, United, Programme's, Cool Coalition, International Energy Agency, UNEP, Coalition, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Canton, Guangzhou, China, India, United States, Nations, United Arab Emirates, Kigali, Montreal, Dubai, London

☆ Inside Passalacqua, the 'world's best hotel'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Maria Pasquale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The “best hotel in the world” was built by a pope and was regularly visited by one of Italy’s most famous opera composers. On 19 September in London at the inaugural World’s 50 Best Hotels, the hotel on Lake Como was named number one. Passalacqua didn’t invent the term villeggiatura, but her every detail embodies it – a romantic 18th century villa turned faultless luxury hotel where you come to exhale and leave your worries behind. Rooms without a lake view start at 1,300 euros ($1,381) per night or 1,700 euros ($1,806) for a view in November – lowest season. Next summer, rates rise to 2,300 euros ($2,443) for a standard room without a lake view, or 3,200 ($3,400) for the cheapest room with a view.

Persons: we’ll, Stanley Tucci, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, –, Silvio Vettorello, “, Passalacqua, Vincenzo Bellini, Stefan Giftthaler Passalacqua, Antonella Mallone, Paolo De Santis, Valentina De Santis, Valentina, De Santis, “ Passalacqua, ”, Ruben Ortiz, Passalacqua –, Vincenzo Bellini –, Alessandro Rinaldi, Vettorello, Jane Austen, ” Maria Pasquale, Rome Organizations: CNN, intel, Scottish Highlands, Yorkshire Moors Locations: London, Como, Carrara, Verona, Milanese, Moltrasio, Lake Como, Italian, Italy, Yorkshire, Rome

☆ Barney and Betty Hill’s UFO abduction story was more about racism than aliens, a new book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

That sound of unimaginable terror is what a psychiatrist recorded when he put a man named Barney Hill under hypnosis in his office one day in 1964. Estelle Parsons and James Earl Jones in a scene from "The UFO Incident," a 1975 television movie based on the Hills' alleged encounter. Both Hills recalled the encounter under hypnosis, but Barney Hill grew terrified reliving the event. … God, I’m scared!”The Hills’ story changed the way people regarded alien encounters. Barney Hill died of a stroke in 1969, and Betty continued to claim that the abduction occurred.

Persons: Barney Hill, Hill, Darth Vader, Betty, Adam, James Earl Jones, Matthew Bowman, Estelle Parsons, Shutterstock Bowman, Barney Hill’s, ”, ” Bowman, Betty Hill, ” Christopher Bader, ” Margalit Fox, John Blake Organizations: CNN, Civil Rights, ”, NAACP, Hills, California’s Chapman University, The New York Times Locations: New Hampshire, America, United States

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